saving seeds · tips for seed saving: when saving seeds of vegetables or flowers, make sure your...
TRANSCRIPT
Saving Seeds
By:
Janean Thompson
Master Gardener Potter County
Collecting Seed:
Who collects?
Ways to collect seed?
When to collect?
Where do you collect?
Why collect?
Who might collect seed? Gardeners wishing to save money
Gardeners who enjoy the
challenge of new things
Gardeners wanting to fill a
meadow easily and
quickly
Overzealous gardeners
Others/anyone
Ways to collect seed From garden or purchased produce
From mature flower blooms in the garden
From wild plants/fields
From neighbors’ plants(with permission)
From roadsides
From other sources
Pulpy Seed Collection:
Collecting seed from
produce Choose mature items
Cut open to reveal seeds
Scoop out seeds
Select cleaning method: Soak to clean:
Scoop out pulp and seeds
How to Soak/Clean: Put seeds into a container with water
Leave for several days
Soak until a foam formes
Stir occasionally
When foamy, wash
away trash and rinse well
Dry well – then label
& store.
OR:
Scrub to clean:
SMALL SCALE CLEANING
LARGE SCALE CLEANING
Moderate scale
cleaning
How to Scrub/Clean: Clean seeds under running water
Wash very well
Drain & pour onto rough cloth surface (terry does a
good job) or onto screen
Scrub well to remove pulp
Allow to dry, then label
& store.
Collecting Dry Seeds
Dry seed heads from the field
Strip off seed heads and place in paper bag
High Tech Seeding Unit
Close bag and
shake.
Seeds and small litter sink to bottom of bag
Remove large
debris and
sort seed
Clean seed: Ready to label and store
Collect seeds from mature
flower blooms: Select Blooms that have matured, dropped petals and
dried
These examples are Marigold and Gaillardia allowed
to dry on the plant.
Gaillardia seed head with
partial seed separation There are approx. 100 seeds per seed head!
Marigold seeds aplenty!
Collected in late fall, 2010…
Marigold seeds, left and waste
seed casings right.
Approx. 90 seeds per dry flower.
Est. of 22,500 seeds!!!!!
When to collect? The easiest collection from flowers is when the
blooms (or pods) have withered and seeds are dry.
This occurs throughout the season
but most heavily at the end of the season.
Select thoroughly dry
flowers for seed collection.
For produce, select mature items and process as
shown in the previous slides: 5,6 and 7.
Remember the limitations of
open pollinated seed.
Where do you collect?
TIPS FOR SEED SAVING:
When saving seeds of vegetables or
flowers, make sure your varieties are
labeled “open pollinated” or “heirloom”;
hybrid (sometimes labeled “F1”) seeds will
not produce offspring identical to their
parents. You want to select the most
attractive and healthiest specimens
from which to collect seeds.
Save seeds from more than one plant to
maintain genetic diversity.
ABOUT POLLINATION:
Some plants are self pollinating; pollen will
transfer from the male to the female part of
the flower without help from insects or wind
(beans, eggplant, lettuce, peas, peppers,
tomatoes).
Other plants require insects to pollinate
the flowers (broccoli, cukes, melons,
spinach, squash, sunflowers). Insects can
cause plants to cross-pollinate with
different varieties, or with certain weeds,
resulting in seeds that will not produce
fruits or flowers identical to the original.
It’s important to isolate the crops you want
to save seeds from so that you
will be sure to get seeds that will grow out
to be just like their parents.
Insect Barriers: To prevent insects from
cross-pollinating your crops, you may
need to cover plants with cages made from row cover material or fine mesh screen.
Another technique is to place a small bag
made of row cover material or fabric over the
flower cluster before it opens.
Once fruit has begun to form, remove the bag,
mark those specific fruits along the stem with
colored string and save seeds from only those
fruits or flowers when mature.
DRYING AND STORING SEED:
MAKE SURE THEY ARE VERY DRY. Seeds
must be well dried before storing. Dry seeds
in a dark and warm (not hot) location with
good air circulation for a few weeks. You
may also use silica gel to absorb seed
moisture:
Put seeds in a paper or cloth bag and weigh
them; put package of seeds and an equal
weight of silica gel in a glass jar with a tight
fitting lid and leave for 7-8 days. Test seeds
for dryness before storing; they should be
very brittle.
STORAGE:
Store dry seeds in an air-tight container and
place in a cool, dark, dry place.
Seeds may be stored in a refrigerator or
freezer, or an unheated basement. Seeds will
remain viable longer if they are not exposed to
fluctuating temperatures, humidity or light.
If storing seeds in the freezer or refrigerator,
allow the jar to come to room temperature
before opening, so that moisture will not
condense on your dry seeds.
LABELING :
Make sure you label saved seeds with the
variety name, year seed was saved, seed
source, and any other notes about your
experience (disease resistance, yield,
taste, days to maturity, etc.).
Realistic home seed systems
Cute!
Huge scale seed storage
Cold storage
Asian seed bank Scientific seed
collections
Global Seed Vaulk: Svalbard, Norway Baker Creek Seed
Bank: Petuluma, CA in old Sonoma County
National Bank
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Millinnium Seed Bank
Project
Established 1929:
Pavlovsk Research Station:
Repository for species security